Experimental research on unstable movements of sandbars under wave actions

This study is motivated by recognition of complex sandbar evolution patterns under wave actions inside the surf zone. A series of physical model experiments were conducted in a wave flume to investigate sandbar migration under various wave conditions, including wave groups, regular waves, and random waves. It was observed that under certain wave conditions sandbars move alternately shoreward and seaward rather than continuously in the same direction. The measurements show that the unstable movement of sandbars is closely related to the amplitude modulation of waves. Smaller amplitude modulation tends to produce more intense unstable bar movements. Data analysis further shows that the sandbar migration does not seem to be a passive response of the sea bed to wave forcing, but is most likely caused by the feedback interaction between waves and bed topography.